The end of Spring was officially June 20th but I am still working on most of my crafts for the Spring. The one thing that I was able to wrap up this week is the patched jeans project. I started off by repairing the worn out areas of the jeans.
To do the mending I used some tips from the book Mending Matters. It has great tips for mending denim and also includes some nice essays on slow fashion and using mending as an exercise in mindfulness. One of the passages from the author Katrina Rodabaugh that I really liked was "...the point is not to have a perfect closet filled with perfect garments, but to cultivate mindfulness-mendfulness-and make deliberate choices, focus on what you can do to make a positive impact, and gain a deeper understanding of your true preferences and style. Mendfulness is also about growing a deeper understanding of how clothing is constructed, where fiber originates, the exact material content of clothing, and the working conditions of the fashion factories you support."
As part of the repair process I found some denim scraps that matched my jeans, pinned them in place and started stitching.
The mending style recommended in Mending Matters is similar to Sashiko. Even though its just patching and mending, the end result is a pretty pattern.
To apply the patches to the jeans, I used two tutorials: one from Sincerely Colleen and one from chezlin. Both recommended tacking down stray threads on the designs with Mod Podge as a first step to making the patches.
Once the Mod Podge had dried, I used fusible web for the back of the patches. Then I arranged the patches the way I wanted them and ironed them onto my jeans.
I'm not sure whether I didn't iron correctly or the beading prevented the material from adhering but the patches weren't really secure so I also stitched around each of the patches on my sewing machine. I like the end result although I'm already thinking that it needs some additional patches and maybe some embroidery along the seam.
My other Spring project are coming along pretty well although I'm only about half done with the needlepoint bag. It really is such a big project, I'm thinking it's going to take all of summer to finish, so I'll probably be rolling it over into my list of projects for the Summer. Still, I have one side almost totally complete which feels good.
The art quilt IS close to completion. I have all of the parts combined and my plan now is to just enhance it with a little embroidery. I have in mind some crazy quilt stitching for the background. I'll see how it looks on the hills in the background and then decide how to go forward.
I like how the colors are coming together but it does need some extra detail.
Last but not least, I was really dragging my feet on the knit shawl. Truth be told, I just didn't really understand the pattern I'd intended to use as I'm still too much of a novice with knitting. I decided to go with a very simple, triangle wrap pattern by Mama in a Stitch. I'm not too far on it yet but I feel more confident about my ability to complete the shawl with this pattern.
I'm giving myself until the middle of July to finish everything but the needlepoint bag and then move on to new projects for the Summer.
Everything is still so weird with the constantly changing COVID rules and requirements. I'm finding a lot of help for anxiety and generalize worry by concentrating on some simple projects and being in the moment for an hour or two each day, just contemplating stitches or gauge or thread. I hope everyone is able to find some peace in these crazy moments with a little craft.